17 Feb 25

Priorslee Balancing Lake and The Flash

0.0°C > 3.0°C: Clear to the East. The usual low-medium Telford "hat" below a high overcast. Moderate south-easterly wind. Very good visibility.

Sunrise: 07:22 GMT

More or less back to 'normal'

* = a species photographed today

Priorslee Balancing Lake: 6:10 – 09:20

(41st visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- back to three pairs of Gadwall.
- five dabbling ducks flew East at 06:50. These seemed 'thin necked' but it was too dark to get a positive identity. Then at 08:05 a quintet of Mallard flew West – the same? If so what were the five ducks that flew West at 08:20?
- an additional Great Crested Grebe: now a pair and two singles, all adults.
- it seems it is "goodbye and thanks for all the fish" [© Douglas Adams] for the Grey Herons and the Great (White) Egret. The former, an early nesting species, has probably returned to one of the nearby heronries to breed. The latter? Good question.
- despite the chilly conditions I noted ten Song Thrushes belting out their territorial song. Just one Blackbird.
- *at least 20 Siskins were in trees near the Teece Drive gate.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
- 6 Canada Geese: three separate pairs outbound
- 5 (3♂?) Mallard
- 5+ unidentified dabbling ducks: see notes
- 1 Stock Dove
- 21 Wood Pigeons
- 15 Black-headed Gulls
- 14 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- 1 Cormorant
- 52 Jackdaws
- 109 Rooks
- *1 Raven

Counts from the lake area:
- 17 Canada Geese; of these five arrived and quickly departed; another departed later.
- 2 Mute Swans
- 6 (3♂) Gadwall
- 9 (6♂) Mallard
- 23 (12♂) Tufted Duck
- *1 Water Rail
- 8 Moorhen
- 93 Coots
- 4 Great Crested Grebes
- 23 Black-headed Gulls
- 13 Herring Gull
- c.110 Lesser Black-backed Gulls
- *3 Cormorants: arrived separately; one of them departed

Of note:
Nothing else

Well that makes a change: a sunrise!

The area of cloud overhead stayed stubbornly in place and the clear area to the East made no progress despite the south-east breeze.

Another view.

And another.

A Water Rail was exploring one of its favoured locations.

Apologies for the very 'noisy' photos. It was very shaded in the ditch with many twigs and branches in the way. It took a lot of editing to get the photos this 'good'.

'Good' did I say?

"Home at last". A Cormorant returns to its favourite buoy.

A distant Raven. Identify by the massive bill and the well-separated primary feathers.

Certainly 12, perhaps 13 Siskins.

Four males and one streaky female in this view.

(Ed Wilson)

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The Flash: 09:25 – 10:40

(39th visit of the year)

Bird notes:
- an additional drake Pochard, not associating with the quartet that have been present for over a week.
- *not at all sure what to make of yet another dead large bird – a puzzle with a trail of feathers leading to or from the water.

Bird(s) noted flying over here:
None

Noted on / around the water:
- 16 Canada Geese
- 2 Greylag Geese
- 4 Mute Swans
- 4 (3♂) Shoveler
- *36 (23♂) Mallard
- 5 (4♂) Pochard
- 54 (29♂) Tufted Duck
- *12 Moorhens
- 35 Coots
- *78 Black-headed Gulls
- 2 Herring Gulls: two adults
- *2 Cormorants: one departed

Of note:
Nothing else

When I parked up at The Flash there was a gaggle of birds feeding on the path. Using the car as a hide I shot a series of photos. Here Mrs. Mallard puts her best foot forward.

A trio of Wood Pigeons tuck in.

Very handsome! A strange eye this species has.

An adult Moorhen also steps out.

Two adult Black-headed Gulls feeding, one acquiring summer plumage.

A first-winter trying to keep its balance.

This adult was the furthest in to summer plumage...

... and shows the feature I have previously note. It is, strictly, not 'black-headed': it has a dark chocolate "hood". In a few weeks the white eye-ring will be more prominent and complete, and the bill will be deep red with a black tip.

Elsewhere one of the Cormorants departs. Not sure about the white speckling. Is it an effect of photo-editing what was just a silhouette? It is certainly an immature as it lacks the white thigh patch.

A Wren lurking deep in the undergrowth.

Well now. From the plumage I thought this to be a badly mangled Common Buzzard. I now think not – not with those feet. But what is it? There was a scattering of white feathers between here and the water's edge which was, and is, puzzling. Could it be a Cormorant? What about those white feathers? Perhaps from the belly of an immature? If so what captured it and dragged it out of the water? I would have thought only an Otter (or Mink?).

(Ed Wilson)

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2014
Priorslee Lake
3 Scaup
1 Grey Wagtail
8 Pochard
23 Tufted Duck
3 Great Crested Grebe
(Gary Crowder)

Telford Crematorium
2 Caspian Gull
c.500 Lesser Black-backed Gull
c.40 Herring Gull
(Gary Crowder)

2012
Priorslee Lake
Iceland Gull
(Jim Almond)

2006
Priorslee Lake
6 Great Crested Grebes
1 Heron
5 Cormorants
2 Gadwall
9 Pochard
18 Tufted Ducks
121 Coots
741 Wood Pigeon
289 Jackdaws
108 Rooks
290 Starlings
1 Skylark
18 Robins
19 Blackbirds again
11 Greenfinches
6 Siskins
23 Reed Buntings
(Ed Wilson)